A parcel tax and bond measure passed a few years ago made it clear that libraries should be an essential service in San Francisco.

"We were fortunate to have so many residents and voters vote for their library to make sure they're seismically safe, they are expanded, they are modernized," San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said.

It wasn't that long ago that budget cuts forced some libraries to open only a few days a week. But thanks to the library preservation fund and friends of the library they have now become more like community centers, offering art classes and access to computers for those who want to earn their high school diploma.